The Smallville Asylum
by FunktasticMe
Summary: A collection of Smallville curiosities. First installment: Man-Mom. Questions involving the miraculous pregnancy and the tragic loss of the baby leads Clark on a quest to discovering the truth about his mom and why she looks so much like a man.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Smallville universe except the twisted elements I infuse it with.

Dear Readers,

This takes place early season 3. I've tried to stay as close to the series as possible, but please forgive any details I've misremembered. If something is really out of line let me know. Let me know if you have any comments, or suggestions, or if you just want to abuse me. I kind of like flames. My skin's as thick as Superman's so don't spare me the truth. If you feel the need to make me cry, I understand. I'm not really sure how long this will stay in serious, realistic characterization. I'm newly returned to fanfic and am a bit rusty–I need a feel for the reader's expectations. I'm more prone to humor/parodies, so I'm not sure how long I'll maintain the angst mode without the mockery (It's been really difficult so far). Let me know what you want.

With Sincerity,

FunktasticMe

**CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO ANGST**

Clark Kent stared at his clock. It was 3:35 a.m. Although the room was plenty dark and the bed still plenty warm, he couldn't sleep. In fact, he hadn't slept at all that night. Having recently returned from this red cryptonic excursion to Metropolis the young man had a lot on his mind. So much pent up angst and unanswered questions about himself and the world around him. He smiled to himself, thinking of his parents. They had done their bests to ensure that he did not have to grow up too quickly and yet he knew that that summer he had done just that. The smile faded as he recalled the evil he had seen and taken part in. He recoiled at the remembrance of Morgan Edge and the corruption he stood for.

The worst part was knowing that his own reckless actions had had serious consequences on the people he loved most. For what seemed like the millionth time his eyes welled up with sorrow for the baby brother, or sister, he would never know. He knew it pained his parents. No one spoke of the child since that day in the hospital. His parents had apparently forgiven him and perhaps they even gave up on blaming him, but they still would not speak of the event. But Clark needed to. He glanced at the clock again. 3:47 a.m. So much for a peaceful sleep, he thought sarcastically as he gave his pillow a frustrated fluff.

"Clark!" Martha Kent's motherly voice called up to her son's room. "Clark, hurry up or you'll be late for school again!" Jonathan Kent gave a knowing smirk and shook his head as he skimmed the morning news. Martha poured him another cup of coffee and put on her familiar show of mock exasperation.

It was the scene Clark always loved to come down to and despite his lack of beauty sleep he didn't want to spoil it. He plastered on a smile and gathered what he hoped was a good show of spirited Clark energy. But the more he tried to smile the more sickly he felt inside. Martha was the first to notice the phony smile and the look of sadness that burned his usually cheery eyes. Damn. He thought he had hidden it well. Mothers.

"What is it Clark? Didn't you sleep well?" Clark hesitated, but answered, "I'm fine Mom. Just had a lot on my mind. Martha pondered, assessing the mentality of her son. Was this a 'something's bothering me but I don't want to talk about it,' or a 'something's bothering me and I need to talk about it'? Her instinct told her it was the latter.

Clark seemed to grasp that she understood his need, but he didn't think this was the best time. As if on queue the school bus arrived at the Kent farm. "I should go," Clark decided. Seeing the concerned look of his parents he added, "But I'd like it if we could talk later...as a family."

"Of course, Son," his father stated in that strong and reassuring way. Clark had always hoped he had inherited that strength. He nodded to them and gave a lopsided smile as he left for the bus. He truly believed he had the best parents in the world.

Chloe Sullivan stared at here monitor, her gaze intently focused on the newest bit of information she had come across. Although she had been struggling with the guilt involved with investigating your best friend, those thoughts were quickly replaced with the shock and utter disbelief at the secret she had uncovered. She offhandedly wondered how much Lionel Luther would be interested in this. Although she was staring right at the facts she found them hard to believe. How to comprehend a secret of this magnitude was beyond her. Was this what Clark had been hiding? Why he didn't want her investigating his family? If this was true, she knew she would never look at the Kents the same way again.

Chloe was startled out of her reverie when the farmboy himself entered her office. "Clark, I wasn't expecting to see you here so early," she said with nervous cheerfulness as she quickly removed the contents from her screen.

"Just thought I'd drop by and see a friend. If that's OK with the busy editor?" Chloe's smile appeared more genuine.

"You're always welcome here Clark." Chloe winced at the emotion her voice betrayed. Clark shifted and smiled a bit uncomfortable.

"Chloe, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, Clark, what is it?"

"I was wondering if you'd be able to get a hold of my mother's medical records." Chloe's eyes went wide and she looked like she was about to fall over in her chair. She self-consciously glanced at her computer, but was met only with her Johnny Depp screensaver. She sighed in relief and tried to laugh. It was a weak attempt.

"Why the sudden urge to go covert on your mom, Clark? You didn't hear something did you?" Her voice couldn't help faltering a bit at the last part. Clark gave her an odd look noticing her discomfort. He gave her the benefit of a doubt.

"I was just wondering about when she lost the baby. My family doesn't really talk about it." Chloe's eyes softened sympathetically.

"I guess I'm just looking for some closure...or...or"

"...Or some way to fix it?" Chloe finished. "Clark, you can't save everyone. Sometimes these things just happen. There are no explanations." Seeing the hurt look and the need in his eyes, Chloe couldn't resist. "But if it helps you cope, I'll see what I can get a hold of." Clark's face brightened and he smiled, "Thank's Chloe. I owe you one."

"You owe me several Clark Kent," she replied as he exited from her sight. The moment he did her smile disappeared and as she pulled up the file she had been working on her look of disbelief returned full force. "It just can't be," she breathed in the silence.

In an effort to delay the inevitable uncomfortable discussion Clark was anticipating, he somehow ended up at the Luthor mansion. While his billionaire friend's advice was usually rather cold and heartless in its tact, meaning very un-Clark like, Lex was usually able to offer a clear perspective on a situation. Clark valued that. And with things kind of weirded out between him and Lana, Lex would have to do.

It was one of those not-enough-security days, so Clark managed to sneak up on the man for once. "Clark!" Lex turned around in surprise from where he was watching television. Clark looked at him curiously. Somehow seeing him watching Seinfeld wasn't a very Lex-like scene. Lex, noticing the confused stare just shrugged and clicked off the TV, "What? I was taking a break."

Clark blinked, regaining his composure. "I was on my way home. I just thought I'd stop in and say 'hi'." Lex, however knew better, but calmly waited for his queue to play the Godfather.

"This visit wouldn't have anything to do with Lana would it, or some evil my Father's been up to?" He smiled slightly when Clark looked taken aback. "Relax, I'm kidding. What's on your mind, Clark? You look troubled." Clark returned the smile looking a bit bashful.

"Actually, it's about my family and how talking about the loss of the baby has become, well, taboo." Lex frowned.

"I can certainly with what you're going through. When my brother died, my father required us to act like he never existed. We had to relinquish our feelings and move on." Never missing a beat, he continued, "But that's my family. I would have thought yours would be more open." Clark sat down beside Lex.

"My family usually talks about everything. Communication's always been our strong point. But this issue of losing the baby's been different. Whenever I've tried to bring it up they immediately change the subject or find something more urgent that needs to be done. I've never seen them so nervous about a subject."

"It's never easy to broach an uncomfortable situation, but trust me, you'll be much better off once you do. I know your family and avoiding the issue doesn't make it go away. It just makes it more bitter." Clark looked at the floor, reflecting on his friend's words.

"You would have made a great brother, Clark. I'm sorry things didn't work out." Clark smiled, still staring at the floor.

"Yeah, me too. It was such a miracle—the way her body was healed allowing her to conceive."

"Clark?" Lex questioned. "This may sound incredibly simple, but if your mom's body was healed, shouldn't she still be able to conceive? I mean losing the baby in a car accident didn't do anything to alter that did it?" Clark's brow furrowed. Why hadn't he thought of that?

"I don't know, Lex. I guess I never really considered that aspect." Lex had a peculiar look about him–like he was hiding something that he found amusing. Before Clark could say anything else, Lex stood, ending the conversation. "Talk to your parents, Clark."

**Review now.**


	2. You've Been Warned

You have decided, bravely, to continue reading this story. Good for you! Don't stop now.

CHAPTER 2: YOU'VE BEEN WARNED

And so there he was, sitting in the cozy living room facing two pairs of loving eyes that quietly expressed that they were there for him, no matter what he was about to say. It was as though everything that had been building up inside him for the last few weeks was about to be unleashed.

"Mom, Dad," he started. "Why don't we ever talk about the baby?" He watched, not really surprised by the pained look that passed between his parents.

"What exactly do you want us to say, Clark?" his Dad finally managed. Clark stood up and began to pace without meeting their eyes. "It's not that I don't know how painful this is for you, but I don't like the way we pretend it never happened. That I never had a brother or sister that, while I never got to meet them, will always be a part of this family." He paused, "At least to me." He sat down, dejected. The silence was uncomfortable. Clark felt somewhat better having spoke his mind. He waited for his parents to realize their error and tell him that it was going to be OK. That they needed to talk about it just as badly as he did. Yeah. Then they'd have cookies and milk as they laughed about it. It was his mom that finally spoke.

"Clark, I know this has been difficult for you. It's been difficult for all of us." Suddenly Martha's usually strong face faltered and she seemed different some how. "But it's not something I like to remember." Jonathan placed a protective arm around her as she continued. "Not being able to bear children, I've never been able to experience what other women go through. What it means to be a women in the fullest sense of the word. When I remember the baby all I can think of is how complete I felt and that I can never feel that again. That pregnancy was miraculous and when I lost it, I knew there would be no second chance," Martha finished as she choked back a sob.

Clark felt awful knowing he had caused, if only by accident, the unfortunate miscarriage. Jonathan hated seeing his wife's troubled state. She was usually so strong. "Son, I think it would be best if we closed this chapter in our lives. Move on and focus on the good we've been given. Besides, we've been lucky enough to have one great son and that's enough for us."

Clark's look was clouded. He wanted badly to leave it at that but he couldn't. He had to continue. "I thought the ship healed you. The accident shouldn't have undone that, right? Why can't you have another baby?"

Jonathan got a strange look in his eyes as if the idea had never occurred to him. Clark watched as his features brightened. Turning to his wife, Jonathan said, "I'm embarrassed to admit it, Martha, but I think Clark has a point. With all the upset it never really occurred to me that we could simply try again." His voice was gentle, soothing.

Martha's silent sobs stopped abruptly as she turned white. Was that nervousness on her face? She looked to be quickly calculating something. Clark shrugged it off–his mom was under a lot of stress.

With no warning Martha quickly stood up completely agitated; her face aghast with horror. "How could you both be thinking such a thing? This is not like a puppy that's died and we go down to the pound and get a new one. We lost a child and it's never coming back! A new one doesn't change that."

"Mom!" Clark quickly met her. "That's not what Dad and I meant. You were just so happy then. All of us were."

His Dad cut in. "Martha, nobody's trying to replace the baby we lost, but that doesn't mean we should forget the possibility of another child altogether."

Martha was unusually livid. "It's not possible for me to have a child!" she screamed. "It never has been. I don't know what happened with the spaceship, but it wasn't natural and it's not going to happen again. So get over it everyone!" With that she stormed up the stairs leaving Jonathan and Clark to stare at her retreat not knowing what to say. They heard the distinct sound of a door slamming upstairs.

"What just happened here?" Clark asked.

"I have know idea, Clark. But I think it would be best if we avoid this topic in the future. For all our sanity." He paused, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I know you meant well, but the mysteries of pregnancy and childbearing have always been sore spots where your mother is concerned."

"Do you think it's true? What she said about not being able to have children?"

"I don't know, Clark. I didn't exactly go over her medical files. Maybe she's just not ready emotionally. We have to trust her."

"Right," was all Clark could muster. Still something didn't feel right. He needed to find out more. Knowing that his Kryptonian heritage had something to do with the events that transpired made him all the more curious to find out what part it had played. He hoped that Chloe would come up with something that would give him some answers. He certainly was going to get any here.

No. No, it just couldn't be. Lionel Luther thought over and over again to himself as he sifted through the latest report given to him by Chloe Sullivan. He held a hand over his mouth as if to ward off the sickness he was feeling. Why hadn't he seen this before. He needed a drink. Now.

"Impossible!" They were the perfect family. Respected by the whole community. Chloe must have been mistaken. She was a bright girl, yes, but quick to jump to conclusions. Her fascination with the weird was well known, but then...it had usually been justified. He felt the anger surge in him. He was frustrated. She was playing a trick on him. This had to be a part of their little game. She was toying with him; messing with his head; trying to get him off balance. He let out a long sigh.

But what if she was right? What would that mean? For him? He didn't want to think about it. He had to verify these facts quickly and discreetly. He wouldn't let Chloe know she had gotten to him. There was an easier way to get information that wouldn't leave a trail of paranoia behind it.

There was only one person who knew more about the Kents than he did. Did he know about this? He tried to imagine the casual encounter they would have. Lionel could subtly bring up the curiosity in question. Not revealing to much, or how badly he needed to know. He scowled to himself. He could just image the smug look on his son's face if he came to him asking if the women he had been so infatuated with had really been a.......a man. Lionel stared out his office window in silence, pondering Martha. Sweet, lovely Martha. A really hot man......Damn!....... He needed that drink.

A/N: Have I confused anyone yet? Unsure? A bit scared? Please don't take my story seriously---I'm just playing. Intriguing though, isn't it? Come on, she looks like a man! I can't be the only one who thinks that. Give feedback.


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